Homeowner recalls tense moments when deputy was shot

DONALDSONVILLE - A woman helped a deputy in her home after he was shot Tuesday.

Deputy James Atkins, a five-year veteran of the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, was shot in the hand while pulling over three out-of-towners wanted for shoplifting. When he tried to stop the car, one of them fired.

"Pow! Then I look out and I heard 'pow, pow' again. Three shots," said the homeowner, Barbara.

The woman was behind her house Tuesday afternoon when she heard gunshots. Soon after, a man, later identified as Deputy Atkins, was running between houses right toward her.

"He asked me to call 911," said Barbara. "I was so nervous I couldn't get the numbers straight."

Atkins left a trail of blood.

Two deputies soon arrived to help. It's something Barbara has never seen before.

"It was so close," she said. "And I don't know, just was nervous, very nervous."